On the Bubble w/AA

[Augie]

Just curious if anyone plays this differently. I know I broke all the rules when playing 'on the bubble', but I don't think I would change my play here - feel free to convince me otherwise.

There are 28 players left in this Pot Limit Holdem tourney on Stars(27 get paid). The table is playing very tight. The blinds are at 300-600, no antes. I have 13720, chip leader at my table and, I believe, have a tight image. The only hand I have played in the last 30 minutes was 2 hands ago, QQ, which I played very passively, just calling a preflop raise, and then checking until the river, where I made a small bet that was paid off (so the QQ was shown). BTW, the QQ hand and the AA hand are v. the same player.

I get AhAd in early position and make it 1800 to go. Everyone folds to my opponent (10778 chips), who raises another 1200 out of the small blind. The BB folds, and I contemplate a call, to see what the flop brings, and then go from there, like the QQ hand. But I figure my image, the fact that we are on the bubble (he will fold just about everything but AA or KK here, or so I think), and the fact that I will still have 3000 or so in chips if I lose, well, I raise the maximum to 9600, almost putting my opponent all-in.

He, of course, calls, and I put him all in for his remaining 1178 in chips on a flop of Qd 9c 2c. He shows AcKd and gets two running clubs to make his flush. I bust out 23rd and win a booby prize.

I don't play too many multitable tournies, so perhaps I need some coaching here. He probably would have folded to a decent bet on that flop if I had kept the pot smaller preflop, but then again, I thought he would fold to the big bet preflop. Basically, I thought my play was screaming AA, and that he would understand my language, so to speak, and fold.

Please enlighten me, I want to improve.